Don't Be Afraid
by Renchikara
Summary: A lost zanpakutô wants revenge. And for Ichigo to pay, Rukia must suffer too. Through a reign of terror throughout their deepest fears and horrific nightmares, Hollow Ichigo could them closer together. If he felt like it. His choice, really. IchiRuki.
1. Chapter 1

**Just me writing a fic because Halloween's coming up... oh well. Hope you enjoy~**

* * *

**One**

**Over the many years I have existed, I have often heard of those who get left behind. My fellow zanpakutô do like to gossip. Every so often, you'd hear the odd name being whispered. One like Muramasa. Ironic, because apparently that was that zanpakutô's Shikai command.**

** I was not abandoned. Master just did not need me any more. He was a great man, with so much potential, and I am content with the knowledge of how proud I am of him.**

** Do I even exist any more? Seems like a ridiculous question, but what happens to a zanpakutô when it is destroyed? I am not aware of much, but I do have a conscious. I am drifting through the air, not quite a physical form, but enough to sustain my existence in the dreams of humans, and keep up my reputation as an instrument of hypnotism. I can bend the dreams however I wish, and I can cause suffering if that is what I desire.**

** And that is precisely what I have in mind for the one who defeated my master. The one who stood in the way of the great Sôsuke Aizen, the one who came away victorious. It has been almost two years and I have been searching all this time, drifting from dream to dream...**

** One day, Ichigo Kurosaki, I will take great joy in watching you suffer... how delightful that will be...**

**XOXOXOX**

The lieutenant of Squad Thirteen is always busy.

Okay, so let's start with her duties as a Soul Reaper, directly under Captain Ukitake in ranking: lots and lots of paper work. Especially as her captain spends a lot of his time in his quarters extremely ill. Which often leaves her having to complete _his_ paper work as well as her own.

Next: she is a Kuchiki, and has recently been appointed heir to the Kuchiki throne, making her the next clan leader after Byakuya, which is apparently a _huge_ honour. She was adopted off the streets, and now look at her! One day she'll be the leader of one of the four great noble families!

So, in short, more work.

Plus, she's often sent to the World of the Living because she is closest to Ichigo, so that eats away at the rest of her precious time.

Rukia Kuchiki's life can be quite tiring.

'Yeah, but with the Kuchiki thing, all you have to do is wear super expensive kimonos and look pretty,' Ichigo points out, snapping Rukia out of this fantasy where she was imagining actually having a day off.

'It's more than that, idiot,' Rukia snaps, turning to face Ichigo, who is lying on his bed reading a magazine. She herself is sitting at his desk, drawing Chappy the Rabbit on the available paper she could find. 'I have to take part in discussions with the elders. My point of view on most matters counts, as I am to be the next leader one day.'

'Byakuya's not gonna pop his clogs any time soon,' Ichigo says mildly.

'Urgh! Do you have to be so vulgar with the way you talk, fool?!'

'Oh, I'm sorry, is it because you're now a very posh noble that you can't stand me?' he says with a grin.

Rukia scowls. 'You're so naïve, Ichigo. You have no idea what it's like, being under so much pressure.'

Ichigo looks at her with a mocking serious expression. 'Of course not. I have no idea what it's like to have so many people expecting you to do something great like, I don't know, saving the Soul Society five or six times. Or more. My fight with Aizen? Child's play.'

The two of them burst out laughing.

'Okay, maybe you've done some great things-' (Ichigo raises his arms in acknowledgement)- 'but you can also enjoy an ordinary human life. Besides... you have no idea how much paper work I have to complete!'

'As if! I know Renji and Momo help you with that!'

'Shut up!' Rukia shouts.

Ichigo grins. He stretches out on his bed and gives a huge yawn. 'Ah... I think I'll turn in for the night... it's been a busy day, but evidently not as stressful as yours.'

Rukia glares at him. 'Fool...'

At that moment, her soul pager goes off. She picks it up off the desk and stares down at the message. 'Damn... not just any Hollow... this is an Arrancar...'

Ichigo's slowly closing eyes flicker open in an instant. 'I'll take it.'

'No, I'm perfectly capable.'

'Rukia, I should probably...'

'Are you underestimating me, Ichigo?'

All the fooling around has disappeared and this is no longer a joke. The two stare at each other, both serious.

'I've defeated Arrancars before, Ichigo.'

'Yeah, but...' he shifts uncomfortably on the spot. He hates having to admit the full truth, so he'll only mention half of it. A rather sore area, nevertheless.

'I... I'm stronger, Rukia. If something were to happen if you were fighting it...'

'Nothing's going to happen,' she says coldly.

More silence.

'You think I'm too weak, don't you?'

'I... have Bankai and Hollow powers as a backup. You've only got your Shikai...'

'I'm a lieutenant, Ichigo!' she yells, fury coursing through her when she realises he isn't denying her assumption. 'I'm heir to the Kuchiki throne! I defeated an Espada with that Shikai!'

'And you almost died!' he shoots back. 'I should take it, I could get the job done much quicker!'

'Bakudo Number One, Sai!'

She knows it will only delay him for a minute or two, but it will be enough. She gives him one last icy look as she leaps out the window, leaving him behind shouting abuse.

**XOXOXOX**

The miserable creature must have only just become an Arrancar, as it is so inexperienced. It shouts gleefully as she lands down onto a roof nearby it, surveying it with disdain. Broken white mask over an eye. Short black hair. Ordinary white outfit. Nothing special.

This shouldn't take long.

Even less time if Ichigo was doing it.

No, forget it. She is not dependant on him. She can take care of herself, and she certainly needs no help.

'Dance, Sode no Shirayuki,' she calls, taking pleasure at the thought of Ichigo's face when she will return home victorious. The Hollow watches the beautiful white zanpakutô, wonder etched across his stupid face.

'Pretty...' he giggles.

Rukia rolls her eyes. Such a fool. He will die quickly.

In one second she is standing behind the dumb Hollow, and his shoulder explodes in crimson liquid. He yowls, then spins around with his sword, but she has already disappeared in a flash of snow and ice. She lands on his other side and calls out, 'Some no Mai, Tsukishiro!' The ice begins to creep up the leg of the unsuspecting Arrancar, who yelps and tries to scrape the ice away. Realising that this is hopeless, the Arrancar notices how close Rukia is and decides to try and attack her head on instead. Rukia sees the sword swinging towards her and is perfectly aware that she will be able to block it in time... she is Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki of Squad Thirteen, heir to the Kuchiki throne... this pitiful excuse for an Arrancar will never defeat her...

In another flash, Rukia can feel herself being hoisted into somebody's arms and is vaguely aware of 'GETSUGA TENSHÔ' being shouted by an extremely familiar voice. The arc of light blue energy engulfs the poor Hollow, erasing him from existence.

**XOXOXOX**

She punches Ichigo in the face, naturally.

How dare he think that he can 'save' her when she obviously doesn't need saving?! She had it all under control!

'FOOL! WHY DID YOU COME?!'

'Rukia, listen, I didn't want to see you get hurt-'

'ARGH!' she screams, stomping down very hard on his foot so he'll get the message, then she storms off, using flashstep. Forget chilling out in the World of the Living- she's not in the mood. She'll go back to the Soul Society- now.

'Rukia... I'm sorry!'

She's already disappearing through a senkaimon.

_I can't wait until I start Bankai training! s_he thinks savagely as she marches over to the Kuchiki Mansion, swearing under her breath. _I'll beat him to death, and see whether he'll still think I'm weak!_

Perhaps it's her anger. She doesn't know it's possible for anger to dull the senses, and to cause her to fall onto the ground, dizzy all of a sudden. She gets to her feet, brushes herself down and shakes her head, confused. What just happened? Why does her head feel so light?

She hears laughter. Strange, feminine, with a slight ringing sound echoing through her head.

_**A friend of Ichigo Kurosaki... my search is almost at its end... hello, Rukia Kuchiki.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Don't worry, I am aware that Aizen is still alive, but Kyoka Suigetsu wants revenge because Ichigo still defeated him. Yes, Kyoka Suigetsu is female in this, and that is simply because when I first heard Aizen talking about his zanpakutô and its name, I immediately thought of Suigintou, the first doll of the anime_ Rozen Maiden_. Bit stupid, but oh well.**

**There is character death. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

* * *

**Two**

_I'm just tired. I'm hearing voices because I'm tired._

As Rukia collapses on her bed, this is the last thing she thinks before sleep takes over once more. Her fight with the Arrancar, quick as it may have been, has exhausted her.

When her eyes flutter open the next morning, her first thoughts go straight to why she is in the Kuchiki Manor, and not in the World of then Living. Then she remembers.

_Damn Ichigo..._

She just wishes he would see her differently now. It's as if he believes she hasn't changed from the Soul Reaper who entered his room on the night that changed his life forever. Rukia knows how weak she was back then in comparison to how she is now. Bankai really isn't that far away for her. She trains whenever she can, often with Renji and Momo, sometimes even with Byakuya. She is strong, and she does _not_ need protecting.

She's grateful that she is supposed to be in the World of the Living right now, because that means that she has no work to do in the Soul Society. She may be in a bit of trouble for deserting her post, but she's pretty sure that_ he_ can take care of any Hollows that show up.

So, what to do with her spare time?

She ends up making her way towards Squad Five after breakfast. Perhaps Momo is off duty and they can get some sparring done. Better than going to see Renji, who can be even more annoying than usual when she's in a bad mood.

'Hey, Rukia. What's up?' Momo greets her as she opens her office door.

'You free today? I'm bored,' Rukia says.

Momo raises her eyebrows. 'Aren't you supposed to be with Ichigo in the World of the Living?'

Rukia shrugs. 'Even Kuchikis can break the rules.'

**XOXOXOX**

Ichigo wonders why on earth this Hollow hasn't died yet.

It is an Adjuchas, judging by its spiritual pressure, and it is really starting to annoy him. It must be quite gifted to have lasted this long. Especially if it's actually making Ichigo consider releasing his Bankai.

Ichigo snuck up on it as it was watching the soul of a young boy, which really pissed the Substitute Soul Reaper off. He's been fighting it for a good fifteen minutes, and this is bordering on ridiculous. The Hollow stares at him with small brown eyes, which is weird because Hollows do not have eyes like that. Usually black, with yellow or red in the centre. This one has white around the edges instead, and the small brown part in the middle. Almost like human eyes. And they seem oddly familiar somehow...

'Hurry up and die already!' Ichigo snarls.

It is then that he hears a voice, crackly and distant like it is on a radio channel with terrible signal. The voice is inside his head, but he can tell it is from the Adjuchas in front of him, as if it is sending a telepathic message straight to his brain.

_'Ichi... s...p...'_

'It's bad enough having one Hollow inside my head without another one breaking in!' Ichigo growls.

The Adjuchas takes the very cowardly option, and leaps off in the other direction.

Ichigo follows straight behind, jumping over the rooftops in the neighbourhood, watching as the Hollow makes a desperate attempt to get away from him. But Hollows aren't creatures that you should spare, or show pity. They are creatures of evil now, and their souls must be cleansed.

He catches up easily with flashstep. He swears he can see a flash of fear in the Hollow's eyes as he appears in front of it, sword raised, and yells, 'GETSUGA TENSHÔ!'

It would have been surprising in normal circumstances, but Ichigo isn't completely chocked when he finds that the Hollow is still alive, lying on the pavement of the road it landed on, grunting in pain. Ichigo's head feels a little fuzzy for a second as his vision blurs momentarily. He rubs his eyes, wondering if maybe he's just tired.

_'Ichi... w...?'_

'What?' Ichigo croaks, staring down at the creature in disdain.

_'Ichi... Ichigo... why?'_

The Substitute Soul Reaper's frown deepens. The voice is becoming clearer, as if the signal is better.

_'Why... the hell... did you...?'_

The Hollow shudders and then falls still. Ichigo waits for it to fade away.

It doesn't happen.

Instead, the form of the creature morphs and shifts, shrinking in size, becoming hazy around the edges. The red skin of the Hollow becomes covered with the black fabric of a shihakushô, the white mask disappearing and a human face appears, pale in death, with jagged black tattoos and long red hair, complete with a white bandanna.

Ichigo almost retches.

He stares down at the dead Renji. Not knowing what to do.

**XOXOXOX**

There are bruises all over her body from where her skin has come into contact with the walls of her cell. She has spent such a long time throwing herself at the walls, and her voice is hoarse from screaming. To make matters worse, her eyes are red and stinging and so very very dry. She has wasted all her tears, which the normal her would have found disgraceful, but right now the only thing that can go through her mind is grief. It is overwhelming her and she just wants it to end. The normal her would have remained calm because she is a Soul Reaper and she will one day be the leader of the Kuchiki clan.

'Let me out...' she croaks. 'Let me out...'

She feels betrayed; after all, it was her own captain who suggested this, and her brother agreed. He looked down at her with his cold grey eyes and she got the feeling that he was... disappointed in her. He must have been. After all, she was in a terrible state when they found her. She had received the Hell butterfly while she was training with Momo, and she didn't believe it. One of her best friends dead? Another of her best friends the murderer. She went ballistic. She marched straight over to her brother's office to demand what had really happened, only to find him staring out of the window, a rather sad look in his usually emotionless grey eyes. And as she watched, a tear rolled down his face as he suffered the loss of his lieutenant.

This scene of resignation to his feelings gave Rukia the answer she had been dreading. Byakuya, crying? This was so wrong, so unbelievably impossible that Rukia knew it was true.

Renji really was dead.

But the other part... the part in the message where it was mentioned who had murdered him...

No.

Rukia had raced off from Squad Six. Once outside, she was just preparing to use a senkaimon when she was retrained by a bunch of Soul Reapers under the orders of Ukitake. She was dragged to a cell in the Squad Thirteen barracks, where both Ukitake and her brother have visited her. Byakuya had regained his composure by this point and he said nothing as he watched Rukia screaming at him and throwing herself at the bars of the cell, demanding that she be let out. He walked off after giving her one last look of cold disappointment, as if he had expected her to react under control to the news of her friend's death. _Hypocrite_, Rukia thought angrily. _You cried too._

Next came Ukitake. He was sympathetic, and that enraged her. He tried telling her that he had placd her into the cell so she wouldn't be able to harm herself or anyone around her in her grief, but by this point she was hysterical. She barely listened as Ukitake gave her a sad look and informed her that Ichigo was going to to be brought in for interrogation.

And now...

Now she has wasted all her tears. She lies curled up on a bed in the cell. Granted, it is rather comfy. She has committed no crime, so Ukitake has given her a nice cell. She finds no consolation in this. She has wasted all her tears, she can no longer talk properly and her head is aching badly. She just wants to be let out. She has to see for herself. She has to go the the World of the Living.

And most importantly, she needs to ask Ichigo whether he really murdered Renji.

_ **'What terrible pain, Rukia Kuchiki. You and Ichigo Kurosaki shall suffer, and I will make sure of that.'**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

They have let her out now, convinced that she's not going to hurt herself or anyone else. Right now she is wondering through a forest, not far from the Kuchiki Manor, whispering to herself as if she has gone mad.

'He can't be dead... and _he_ can't have murdered him... maybe it was _his _Hollow...'

She takes a deep breath. Breathes out. Breathes in again. The out again.

_In. Out. In. Out. Stay calm._

She has to find out, she has to find _him._

**XOXOXOX**

He may be in shock, but somehow he's still able to fight.

They've sent the group they usually send, the officers from Squad Ten and the volunteers from Squad Eleven. Names do not matter in this fight, because all he needs to do is escape and figure out plan.

'… Ichigo Kurosaki, you are charged with the murder of Lieutenant Renji Abarai of Squad Six...'

The voices are distant echoes, as if they are irrelevant. Ichigo releases his Bankai and he fights as hard as he can, and yet he doesn't actually have to. Maybe some new power has awoken in him, because when he finally concentrates, snapping back into reality, he finds every single one of his enemies unconscious. At least, he hopes they're unconscious.

He flees the scene, leaving every single one lying on the ground outside his house (where they were fighting), covered in blood.

Unknown to him, they're all dead. He doesn't want to know. He can't bear the thoughts going through his mind.

_Don't lose it... don't lose it..._

**XOXOXOX**

'Let me through,' Rukia demands as she reaches her office in the Squad Thirteen barracks, only to find two guards at the door. Ukitake confiscated her zanpakutô when she was placed in the cell, obviously, and she supposes it must be here.

'The lieutenant has not requested to see anyone,' one of the guards says in an irritated voice.

This guard must be particularly dim.

'I _am_ the the lieutenant,' Rukia growls. Perhaps the light, considering it is night time, is making them unable to recognise her face.

'You may be a Kuchiki, but you're not that privileged!' the other guard laughs.

'Are you drunk or something?!'

With that, she storms past both of them and pushes the door open with so much force that it swings right back and hits the wall.

'Hey, I said let no one in!' comes a hoarse voice from Rukia's chair. How dare they sit there?! She marches straight over there.

'Oh, hey Rukia. Come to apologise?'

She stands there, frozen.

Because what else can she do?

'Damn, that hurt, Kuchiki! But I guess I understand- you killed me to destroy that Hollow. Still, I think an apology is in order!' he says with a painful grin, pointing at the rip in the fabric of his shihakushô, and the skin underneath where she can vividly see the terrible bloody wound.

**XOXOXOX**

She clutches the wound in her chest, so very glad that she has perfected her flashstep, because if she hadn't, the cut would be even worse.

Kaien wasted no time trying to kill her.

Technically, it was still him when his eyes went black, not some Hollow trying to posses him, although this now meant that Kaien himself was evil. He immediately lunged at her with his sword, but she was quick enough to dodge the attack. Well, almost quick enough.

_This isn't real, because he's dead._

_ This isn't real, because Renji can't have died._

_ Then why is my wound hurting so badly, if this is an illusion?_

She's in the forest again, gasping for breath, having flashstepped all the way here. Blood is dripping from the wound, convincing Rukia that it must be real.

Kaien is alive.

Renji is dead.

Ichigo's a murderer.

And she's not, not if the previous lieutenant of Squad Thirteen has returned.

She falls against a tree and slides down, wincing in pain. How can any of this have happened? What is she going to do?

A nearby roar of a Hollow makes her jump violently, as she stares up into the leering eyes of an Adjuchas behind a plain white mask. She gasps and instinctively reaches for her sword, only to remember she hasn't got it. That was the stupid reason she went to her office in the first place. And she never retrieved it.

_You didn't get top grades in Kid__ô__ class for nothing, idiot!_

The Hollow raises a huge arm, it's claws extending to razor sharp talons as it brings them down with motivational force towards her.

'Hado, Number-' she begins, but at that moment there is a flash of white and the Hollow is vaporised on the spot. A pale figure falls down in it's place, facing away from Rukia, wielding an extremely familiar large sword.

'Ichigo?'

'Ha ha... no.' The figure turns around slowly so she can see him. But it is him! Same height, same spiky hair (granted, not orange). Same overgrown kitchen knife. But this person is pale white all over, like some inverted clone of Ichigo. And his eyes are black and yellow, like a Hollow's.

'Who are you?' she says coldly.

'The guy who just saved your life,' he says with a grin. His voice sounds a little like Ichigo's, but higher pitched and watery, echoing slightly. 'Got a problem with that?'

'Give me a straight answer!' she hisses.

'Maybe if you ask nicely...'

'Let's see. You look like Ichigo. Probably his inner Hollow. You're annoying. Still probably his inner Hollow. You've got Hollow eyes. You're one hundred percent his inner Hollow,' she concludes, drawing a slightly shaky breath as she glares up at him.

'And you are very welcome, though you can see I'm not really 'inner' anymore,' he says, feigning irritation, although she can tell he is highly amused. 'Am I going to get a thanks?'

'No, not likely. Have you taken over Ichigo's body? Is that why you're like that?'

'Like what?'

'You know... like Ichigo dipped in bleach, with a sprinkle of evil.'

He laughs, a cold, chilling sound. 'He never said his friends were funny or smart. No, I have not taken over. Anyway, this is not what he looks like when I take over. You should know that, you've seen it before.'

'Yeah... good point. Then how are you here?'

'Good question. Perhaps you should ask someone who actually knows. Hey, I've got a good idea, let's go find Ichigo and ask him!' Hollow Ichigo exclaims sarcastically.

'You have no intention of talking rationally with him, have you?' Rukia says sceptically.

'No, not really. But I am gonna find him. Tag along, if you want. I really couldn't care less.'

'What do you want from him?' Rukia demands.

'Well, for starters, I'd like to know what the hell's going on,' Hollow Ichigo begins slowly. 'After that... well, I'm pretty much making it up as I go along. You sure this is real?'

'I don't... I don't know,' Rukia admits, looking down. 'I wish it wasn't...'

'Well, normally people are scared as hell of me, so I could be dreaming, as you're not showing the slightest bit of fear,' the Hollow murmurs.

'Oh no, if it's a dream, it's definitely mine,' Rukia argues. 'Well, more like a nightmare. But I'm wounded. In dreams, you're not supposed to feel pain, but this hurts. A lot.'

'Yet here I am, not trapped in Ichigo's mind, but instead in the real world. Which should be impossible. Which means it might _not_ be the real world after all,' Hollow Ichigo muses. 'Oh well- screw logic.'

'So you have no idea why you're here, or what you're going to do?'

'Fight, blow some shit up, have Ichigo stop me, leave, that'll probably be my day in a nutshell.'

'This can't be real,' Rukia mentions as she feels a stabbing sensation in her chest again, although this one is emotional. 'One of my best friends has died, and it's apparently because of Ichigo. Also, someone else has come back from the dead.'

'Well, I'm gonna find out what's going on,' Hollow Ichigo declares, sending a slightly taunting look down at her. 'You coming or what?'


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's so short, I'm in a hurry to post this before midnight... eek...**

* * *

**Four**

He knows he can't hide forever.

Finally, out of guilt, out of fear, out of worry, Ichigo emerges from an alleyway where he was hiding and makes his way cautiously back to his home, praying that the Soul Reapers he defeated were only unconscious. After all, some of them were his friends.

He's beginning to feel increasingly unlucky, confused, afraid and scared when he returns to the Kurosaki clinic.

He can't actually remember fighting them, only that he wasn't really concentrating as he mutilated and hacked at their bodies. He was in a daze, his fighting instincts having taken over as he murdered them. Ichigo swallows down the retch as he stares at a pile of bodies outside the house, some of them extremely recognisable members of Squads Ten and Eleven. And there are humans, too. They must have gotten mixed up by mistake.

No...

Oh, hell...

…_ no..._

Ichigo walks up to them, gazing down in shock as his whole world collapses around him. The three of them lie lifeless on top of the pile, the man beneath his two daughters, the twins themselves having being placed so that they're holding hands. None of their limbs have been ripped off, but all three have crimson lines that have been etched into their skin extending from their mouths in a smile.

Ichigo screams.

And he doesn't stop there.

Tears spring from his eyes and cascade down his pale cheeks as he sees the three people he loves the most lying here as a result of what happens when he loses control. The spiritual pressure is so strong and dark, and so obviously _his_.

'NO... DAD... KARIN... YUZU...'

He collapses beside them, not taking his blurry eyes off his family, wishing for it all to end.

_MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP..._

_STOP STOP STOP STOP __**STOP!**_

A deep empty void penetrates his mind, sucking in all the grief and multiplying it to make it a million times worse as it echoes around his heart. And it hurts so unbelievably bad-

'Whoa, King... you really lost it, didn't you?'

Ichigo's head snaps up in recognition, which is strange, because he was beginning to think nothing on the outside world mattered any more. Behind him, just standing there, staring at him, is his inner Hollow. Out of the side-ways world, a blank look on his face, Rukia right behind him.

'YOU! IT WAS YOU!'

'Whoa!' the Hollow yelps, as he immediately sees Ichigo's sword swing towards him. The Substitute Soul Reaper is back on his feet, shaking in fury, pain and hatred, and all of this is being directed straight at the Hollow.

'YOU! YOU MADE ME DO THIS!'

'Idiot!' the Hollow scoffs, wondering exactly what the hell's going on.

Ichigo takes a few dangerous steps towards him, his eyes shining a pale icy blue, just like the last time he defeated his inner Hollow, and the Hollow shakes slightly as the memory resurfaces.

Then, without any warning, the blue disappears to be replaced with the brown as Ichigo's killer instinct vanishes, the grief too powerful to be overcome. He staggers slightly, then falls forwards, and the Hollow really has no choice but to catch him. Feeling slightly ridiculous, Hollow Ichigo lowers the Substitute Soul Reaper onto the ground where he lies there, shaking with pain. The Hollow stands up again, staring at Ichigo in confusion, before turning back to Rukia.

'What now?'


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah, I'm a frickin' genius *swears under my breath*. The last chapter was extremely rushed because I wanted to have it posted on the day of Halloween. Actually ON THE DAY, not a second after. And *sighs* I left it too late. I finally finished writing Chapter 4 at about 11:56 PM, 4 mins to midnight, and I had to wait for the stupid internet to load (because of COURSE it had to be a slow computer) and I started chanting, 'SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!' like some negative mantra. It was finally posted at 11:59 PM, with about 30 secs left.  
I am so stupid_._**

**Anyway, here's a long-ish chapter. Enjoy~**

* * *

**Five**

Hollow Ichigo concludes that he can go about this in two ways: he can help Ichigo and Rukia or he can sit back and watch what happens next. Under normal circumstances, he would prefer to watch Ichigo struggle but as he has spent most of his life sitting around doing nothing, it doesn't sound particularly inviting.

Ichigo stays lying on the ground for quite a while, shuddering with silent sobs. The Hollow has to keep from rolling his eyes in disgust at his king's weakness. Rukia is far more sympathetic, despite the fact that she is aware that Ichigo is Renji's killer. This is because she is by now aware that this may not be real, and that something, or someone, is playing some sick sadistic game with them. She bends down beside her friend and whispers, 'Ichigo. You need to listen to me. This might be fake. This whole world, everything that's happened... it could be an illusion of some kind. Too may impossible things have happened. You would never have killed Renji. Kaien wouldn't be able to come back to life. Your Hollow wouldn't be out here, in the real world.'

'Are you implying that I'm fake?' Hollow Ichigo interjects. ''Cause I can assure you, I'm one hundred percent real.'

'Then how are you here?' Rukia asks, turning away from Ichigo to stare at the Hollow.

'I don't know,' he replies darkly. 'But I think you're right: none of this is real. I believe it's possible that you and Ichigo are dreaming.'

'Dreaming?' Ichigo croaks.

'Yes. It would explain all the impossible things that are happening, plus how I'm able to appear here. You're sharing some sort of dream together, and I'm here too because I'm a part of Ichigo.'

'This isn't like any dream I've ever had before,' Ichigo hisses.

'Then it's a nightmare,' the Hollow snaps, not keen on hearing Ichigo ramble on about how this is complete hell.

'What he means is that we're able to be injured in this illusion,' Rukia says quickly to the Hollow as she notices Ichigo's eyes narrow. 'In dreams, you're not supposed to feel pain.'

'Someone's created this to torture you both,' the Hollow says, his eyes flickering from left to right as if expecting to see the culprit standing right there. 'Somebody has targeted you two.'

'But that's still not explaining how all of this is happening,' Ichigo whispers. 'How we're able to feel pain, how realistic all of this is...'

'And perhaps that is because our assumption is wrong, and this is _not_ a dream. Maybe it is _real_,' Hollow Ichigo says calmly.

'No!' Ichigo shouts angrily, stumbling to his feet. 'No, this can't be real! They can't be dead! This has to be an illusion! I can't let it be real...'

'You're an idiot,' the Hollow decides.

Ichigo rounds on him. 'If this is my dream, then can't I make you disappear?'

'Imbecile,' the Hollow sighs. 'This is not just your dream, but Rukia's too, and somebody else is controlling it. You have no power.'

'Then what are we going to do?' Ichigo demands. 'What _can_ we do?'

''We'?' the Hollow echoes.

Ichigo and Rukia stare at him.

'Why should I help either of you?' the Hollow says quietly.

Ichigo steps towards him furiously. 'Because you're supposed to! You're a part of me, aren't you?! Aren't I supposed to be the one who's in charge?! I don't want you here, but seeing as you are, you're going to help us!'

The Hollow laughs, but it is humourless. Rukia can tell that he is, in fact, quite angry with Ichigo's response.

'Forget it,' Hollow Ichigo growls. 'You're pathetic. And weak. I'd rather watch you fall.'

Ichigo reaches down for the sword he left lying on the ground when he collapsed earlier. He grips it tightly, then launches himself at the Hollow.

'Fool!' Rukia shouts. 'This is not the time for fighting each other! We have to work out what to do!'

Her words fall on deaf ears. Both Ichigo and his Hollow have soared off into the air for a battle, Ichigo looking furious and the Hollow not looking particularly thrilled either, which is rather odd for him. He's not even taking the fight very seriously, and he lets his mind wonder off to how this illusion that has been created to torture Ichigo and Rukia could effect him in any way, shape or form. Nothing in this dream has tried to harm him yet, so is he actually in danger like the other two?

'Bakudo, Number Sixty-Three, Sajō Sabaku!' Rukia calls, reaching out her hand so her palm is facing the two battling figures above her and then closing it into a fist. A thick yellow rope appears in mid air, shooting straight towards its targets. It immediately begins to wrap around Ichigo and his Hollow, and they cry out in alarm as they are pulled back to back, both of them dropping their swords. The two fall to the ground in a large crash, the swords clattering uselessly beside them.

'Rukia!' they yell in unison, outraged.

'We don't have time to fight each other!' Rukia snaps. 'We have to work out what must be done next. And for the record, this concerns _all_ of us,' she adds, sending an icy glare at the Hollow.

'Whatever,' Hollow Ichigo growls. 'Just let me go already.'

Rukia walks up to the two of them, and despite all the terrible events that have taken place, she is still able to smirk. 'Promise you'll work together?'

Ichigo and Hollow Ichigo stare up at her with similar incredulous expressions, as if saying, _are you serious? _Rukia yawns and murmurs. 'I've got all night, guys.'

'Hardly,' Hollow Ichigo snarls. 'There'll be Soul Reapers here any second now. We're gonna need to fight. Let me go!'

'The Soul Reapers are coming,' Rukia echoes, 'so wouldn't it be horrible if the two of you were incapacitated? Do you promise to work together or not?'

'Promise!' the two teens in front of her gasp.

Rukia grins. 'Good!' She snaps her fingers and the glowing yellow bonds disappear. The teens leap up in an instant, both of them reaching instinctively for their swords in case the other is having second thoughts about their reluctant temporary alliance.

'Did you have to let him go too?' Ichigo groans in complaint.

'The power of three is greater than the power of two,' Rukia says fairly.

'And have you ever heard the term, 'Two's company, three's a crowd'?' Ichigo interjects, though he's finding it quite easy to understand Rukia's logic.

'King?'

'Yeah?'

'Shut up.'

'Sure.

******XOXOXOX**

'Well, the last place we should go right now is the Soul Society, considering we're fugitives,' Rukia muses as the three of them soar through the air over Karakura Town. 'On the other hand, we need to find out what's going on and we'll probably get more answers there than here in the World of the Living.'

'What about Kisuke?' Ichigo suggests. 'He might help us.'

'If he's not trying to kill us,' the Hollow adds darkly.

'Kisuke wouldn't do that-'

'You forget, this could be an illusion. If it is, then the one manipulating wants everyone to be your enemies. Which of course means that you can trust no one but each other,' the Hollow says.

'What about you?' Rukia asks.

Hollow Ichigo grins. 'Of course not. I'm an insane evil Hollow, remember?'

'You haven't changed much, then,' comes a horribly familiar voice from to the right.

The three land on the roof beneath them, all staring in confusion at the dark figure, a silhouette against the moon. The outline reminds all three of one person in particular from awhile back, and they're pretty sure that he should be one hundred percent dead.

'Muramasa,' Ichigo growls.

The zanpakutô plasters an unpleasant smile on his face. 'We meet again, Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki. Oh, and Ichigo's inner Hollow! This is too good!'

'How are you here?' Rukia demands. 'You're dead.'

'So... illusion,' the Hollow mutters quietly.

'I sure hope so!' Ichigo says forcefully.

'Illusion?' the zanpakutô laughs. 'Maybe... maybe not. Let's find out, shall we?'

He reaches out his hand, extending the long fingernails, and closes them around a sword that appears in mid air. He immediately flashsteps in front of the other three, sword held high and ready to strike. Ichigo quickly pushes his way in front of Rukia, not because he's aware she is weaponless but because that is naturally what he'd do anyway. His sword is drawn and ready, held out in front of him and the petite Soul Reaper behind him. Unnecessary, however, because Muramasa's sword has already crashed against a second, paler Zangetsu. The Hollow grins and pushes the zanpakutô off with little effort. Muramasa lands on a nearby roof, his expression neutral.

'A rematch it is,' he says calmly, his eyes fixed on Hollow Ichigo.

'No,' Ichigo says straight away. 'Nobody is going to fight you, Muramasa.'

'I'll speak for myself, thanks, Ichigo,' the Hollow says coldly.

'We can't afford to waste time!' Ichigo shouts.

'Then consider it time well spent,' the Hollow snaps back.

******XOXOXOX**

Ichigo and Rukia crouch on the roof of a nearby building, waiting for something to happen in the fight happening beneath them on the street. The moon is high in the sky now, and none of the reinforcements from the Soul Society have come. Yet.

'We have to stop them fighting,' Ichigo grumbles.

'Muramasa will still try to kill us,' Rukia points out. 'The best thing we can do right now is help your Hollow.'

'He won't let us do that,' Ichigo says savagely. 'He'll attack us if we get too close, knowing him.'

'Fine, but if he starts dying or losing or whatever, we intervene, okay?'

'Obviously. If this is fake, which I hope it is, how do we know when the vision first started?'

Rukia takes a deep breath and brings her knees closer to her chest. She looks so small in Ichigo's eyes, and although he knows deep down that she is strong enough to look after herself, he can't help but think of how he believes she needs protecting. Especially seeing as she has no sword...

'… after that.'

'Huh?' Ichigo snaps back into concentration. Rukia rolls her eyes.

'I was saying that it must have happened after I went back to the Soul Society. When both of us woke up the next morning, we would have been coming into the illusion. You k... killed Renji soon after and I entered my office earlier on this evening to find someone who should be dead sitting at my desk. He tried to kill me. I ran to a nearby forest. Without my sword. A Hollow attacked me. Your Hollow saved me-'

'Saved you?' Ichigo is incredulous. 'That doesn't sound like him.'

'- and then he was acting all cocky and saying I should be grateful-'

'Actually, no, that does sound like him,' Ichigo corrects himself.

'- then we came to the World of the Living to look for you. And you know the rest,' Rukia finishes.

'Do you think it's just the three of us that are actually real in this illusion?' Ichigo says quietly. 'I mean, my Hollow could be lying about being real-'

'- he would have let me die if he was fake,' Rukia reasons.

Ichigo scowls. 'Fine. But do you think that anybody else is trapped in this nightmare?'

'I'm not sure,' Rukia confesses, hating not knowing a damn thing. 'I wish I could go to Captain Ukitake or my brother for help but the truth is, they may be just like Kaien. They might try to kill us, and I don't think there would be anything we'd be able to do.'

An outraged yell from beneath them makes them focus outside their conversation once more. Ichigo isn't very surprised to find his Hollow in exactly the same situation he was in last time. The invisible powers of Muramasa have once again taken a hold of Hollow Ichigo, and the albino is desperately struggling to break free. And just like last time, Ichigo intervenes before Muramasa can do anthing.

He knows that all of Muramasa's power relies on reflections, but he can hardly break every window on each building without causing major damage to the World of the Living and possibly endangering human lives.

'Falling into the same trap twice is pretty pathetic!' Muramasa taunts as he walks down the road towards his prisoner.

'SHUT UP!' Hollow Ichigo hisses furiously.

'Well, as this is a re enactment of last time, I suppose this is the part where I step in,' Ichigo says, landing on the pavement beside his Hollow.

'Piss off Ichigo, I'm doing fine!' the Hollow protests angrily.

Ichigo raises his eyebrows. 'Oh really?'

'Quit messing around,' comes Rukia's voice from the roof.

Ichigo sighs. 'Why didn't you release Bankai?' he asks the Hollow.

'I can't! He's taken Zangetsu again or something!' the Hollow replies grumpily, jerking his head towards Muramasa, who laughs at this latest remark.

'If you're gonna let me go then hurry up!' the Hollow mutters.

'GETSUGA TENSHÔ!' Ichigo shouts, bringing his sword down as the arc of pale blue energy erupts from his sword, heading straight towards Muramasa and successfully cutting the invisible ropes tying the Hollow down. When the smoke clears, Muramasa has vanished but they know he is probably still watching them from somewhere where he can't be seen.

Rukia lands beside the two teens, scanning the area cautiously, only to hear a typical argument.

'I didn't need help.'

'Whatever. Quit picking fights with every person we see.'

'You're one to talk.'

'And what that supposed to mean?!'

Rukia rolls her eyes once more and proceeds to walk the length of the street, trying to catch a glimpse of the missing zanpakutô if she can. She has no such luck, and she is about to head back to the squabbling teens when she hears a quiet whisper from the shadows of some rubble caused by Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshô.

'Rukia?'

The voice is feminine and rather weak, and Rukia doesn't recognise it. She certainly hasn't heard this person before. She edges nearer cautiously, wondering how this anonymous person knows her name.

'It really is you isn't it... Rukia?'

* * *

**Review with guesses as to who it might be. Also, review even if you don't know, because I WANT REVIEWS!**

**Thanks for reading~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's a life lesson for you guys: Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever say you hate Christmas while you're in public. Even if you have a really good excuse, like a relative died on Christmas day in the past or you have no one to spend it with or (in my case) _Merlin_ ruined it for you last year with its heart-breaking Season 5 finale on Christmas Eve. No excuse is ever good enough, apparently.**

**Another frickin' migraine. Still, at least this time I can write. :)**

* * *

**Six**

It's like looking in a mirror. The woman has the same raven black hair with a few strands falling between her eyes and is rather petite. She has large violet eyes that stare in disbelief at the younger version of herself. Rukia thinks she's beautiful, and she recognises this woman from the many pictures of her in the Kuchiki Manor.

'... Hisana? Lady Hisana?'

'Rukia... it is you!'

The woman leaps forward and wraps Rukia in a tight embrace. Rukia can only feel completely bewildered. How many dead people are going to come back to life tonight?

'Hisana... how can you be real?'

'It's Mayuri Kurotsuchi!' Hisana sobs. 'He's been practising a resurrection experiment! It was horrible! After we were brought back, he kept us locked up and h-he d-d-did horr-r-rible things t-t-to us.'

''Us'?' Rukia echoes. 'You and Kaien?'

'There are others. He... did something bad to Kaien Shiba's brain.'

'So that's why Kaien tried to kill me!' Rukia exclaims. She gently detaches herself from her older sister and smiles down at her. 'Listen, Lady Hisana... I can take you to my brother. I can take you to Byakuya.'

'You... you call him your brother?' Hisana says, staring up at her through tear-filled eyes. 'He allowed that?'

'Yes, sister,' Rukia says, feeling tears of happiness appear in her own eyes. Forget Kuchiki dignity- this moment is far too important to Rukia.

'I'm so sorry, Rukia!' Hisana moans. 'I never wanted to abandon you! I searched for you almost every day!'

'And I was found a year after you died,' Rukia whispers, taking her older sisters hand with her own. 'But I never blamed you, sister. I understand.'

She gets to her feet, pulling her sister up with her. Hisana is quite unsteady but Rukia grips her tightly.

'If all this is true, then...' Rukia trails off, and her eyes widen in horror. 'Then Renji, and those Soul Reapers, and Ichigo's family really are dead.' She gasps. 'But... but how... _why_ did Ichigo kill them?'

'The Hollow,' Hisana whimpers. 'It's all his Hollow's fault. You can't trust him!'

**XOXOXOX**

'Damn... where the hell did Rukia go?' Ichigo mutters.

He and his Hollow have finished their argument (an unavoidable rock fight saw to that) and now they have only just noticed that Rukia has disappeared.

'Maybe she got killed or something,' the Hollow says indifferently.

Ichigo spins around furiously to face his Hollow. 'What. Did. You. Just. Say?' he spits.

'Well, seeing as everyone's out to kill you, I wouldn't be too surprised.'

'You little-'

'Ichigo?'

Ichigo turns his head towards the voice, and his heart stops.

'Ichigo... why did you kill them?' Masaki asks, stepping forward and making her way towards her son.

'M-Mom?'

'Your father... your sisters...' Masaki's face grows extremely pained. 'Why, Ichigo?'

'M-Mom... how...?'

'How could you do something so... horrible?!' Masaki cries, falling to her knees, tears of despair trailing down her face. 'When I was brought back... I thought we could be a family again!'

Ichigo looks horrified. 'I didn't... I don't know how I... Mom...'

'Don't call me that. Don't ever call me that.'

'Mom-'

'You're not my son!' she shrieks.

'Ichigo?' Hollow Ichigo says, looking thoroughly confused. 'What is-'

In a flash, Masaki's right arm is immediately detached and Rukia lands next to her, her face full of disdain as she lowers her hands from the Kidô spell she used. 'Hollow scum.'

Masaki screams and Ichigo yells, 'MOM!'

But it's two late. Rukia whispers another Kidô spell under her breath and Masaki Kurosaki is engulfed in fire, erasing her from existence. Ichigo stares, wide-eyed, at the spot where his mother was before he flashsteps over to Rukia and grabs her arm, shaking her violently.

'YOU KILLED HER! WHY DID YOU KILL HER?! SHE WAS MY MOTHER!'

Rukia is shocked. 'It was a Hollow...'

'YOU WERE BEING TRICKED! SHE WASN'T A HOLLOW, SHE WAS MY MOTHER!'

'N-no, she wasn't...'

Ichigo throws her to the ground in fury. He starts forward but Hollow Ichigo gets between them. Before anyone can say anything, the Hollow punches Ichigo as hard as he can in the face. The Substitute Soul Reaper goes flying and lands in a heap at the bottom of a nearby building.

'You idiot!' Hollow Ichigo hisses. 'You're the one being tricked, stupid! She was an illusion only you could see! It was a Hollow!'

'THAT'S NOT TRUE!' Ichigo screams.

'Look around you!' Hollow Ichigo shouts, making his way over to Ichigo and pulling him up roughly. 'This whole thing is an illusion! You thought Renji was a Hollow and that's why you killed him! But in reality, IT NEVER HAPPENED! NONE OF THIS IS REAL!'

Rukia clears her throat. 'Actually... that's not true. I found my sister. She told me that Captain Kurotsuchi has brought the dead back to life. She went on to say that he's been testing drugs on people without them knowing, and it's causing hallucinations like the one Ichigo saw that made him kill Renji to occur. She also said,' Rukia says, her eyes narrowing as she fixes them on the albino Hollow, 'that we can't trust you. You even said it yourself. You're a part of this. You're helping Kurotsuchi.'

Hollow Ichigo stares at her in disbelief. 'You're just as delusional as he is!' he snarls, pointing at Ichigo.

'You're... you're why they... why they all died?' Ichigo whispers. 'You're making this happen to me and Rukia?'

'No, you moron!'

'And... you really did kill Mom,' Ichigo says, his eyes fixed on Rukia.

'No! You're the one who's hallucinating, not me!'

'Don't you see what's happening?!' Hollow Ichigo explodes. 'This has nothing to do with Kurotsuchi! This is not real! It is all an illusion! And whoever's causing it wants the two of you to turn on each other! And the weirdest, stupidest, craziest thing is, _I'm_ the one who realises that! Me, of all people!'

'Rukia...? What's going on...?' Hisana appears from around a building, her hands pressed up against the wall as if afraid that if she lets go she will fall over. Although, she is so frail that this is actually probable.

'Don't worry, sister,' Rukia soothes. 'I'll take you back to Byakuya and we'll figure this out.'

'See, now _you're_ hallucinating!' Hollow Ichigo exclaims. 'It's just another Hollow.'

'What?!' Rukia says, startled. 'How dare you?!'

'Rukia's right,' Ichigo mutters to his Hollow. 'It's Hisana Kuchiki. I've seen a picture of her before. _You're_ the one who's hallucinating this time.'

'No... look, this has nothing to do with Kurotsuchi. How would I be here if this wasn't some sort of dream?'

'He's a crazy scientist. Don't doubt his abilities,' Rukia answers.

'No,' Hollow Ichigo tries again. 'Whoever is causing this illusion is out to get the two of you. They're not targeting me._ You_ two are being tricked. I'm irrelevant as far as the person beside this is concerned.'

'What?' Hisana says, confused. 'Rukia?'

'It's all right,' Rukia says to her sister, glaring at the Hollow.

Hisana leaves the building and staggers slightly towards the other three. Hollow Ichigo tenses and his hand reaches up slowly for the hilt of his sword. Ichigo pushes past him and hisses, 'Don't scare her.'

'It's a Hollow!'

'Don't be ridiculous.'

Hisana walks shakily over to Rukia, and the Hollow can't help himself- every instinct in his body is telling him to kill this animal-like creature only he can see. He launches himself at it, sword drawn, and deals a fatal blow going across its chest. The creature screeches in pain and falls down.

'WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!' Ichigo roars at his Hollow.

'Hisana!' Rukia screams. She flashsteps forward to catch her sister and sinks to her knees, cradling her older sister in her arms.

'Ru... Rukia...' Hisana coughs. 'Tell... Byakuya...' she falls silent as her eyes dull over.

'His... Hisana!' Rukia sobs.

'They're all... dying again... everyone's dying,' Ichigo whispers disbelievingly.

'They're Hollows,' Hollow Ichigo says viciously. 'Look.' He points at the severed arm of Masaki Kurosaki, lying in the middle of the street.

'What?' Ichigo growls sadly. 'What are you-?'

'Really look at it,' the Hollow urges. 'Don't see your mother.'

'How can I not...' Ichigo falls silent as he stares at the arm, which slowly morphs into a sickly green Hollow arm then fades away as they watch. Rukia leaves her sister lying on the road and stares down at her as she transforms into a brown furry Hollow before she too disappears before their eyes. Ichigo and Rukia both look at each other helplessly, before fixing their gaze on the albino.

'You want me to help you,' Hollow Ichigo says, a grin appearing. 'Well, there you go.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Jeez, I am so tired. You don't even need to know that. I don't know why I typed it.**

* * *

**Seven**

'So... everything Rukia and I can see may just be an illusion?'

'Yep,' Hollow Ichigo confirms. 'Unless I can see it too, in which case I can guarantee it is real.'

Rukia sighs. 'We... we need to g-get back to the Soul Society so I c-can get my sword and t-then...' she trails off.

Ichigo is immediately overwhelmed with worry and guilt. To have spent such a brief time with her sister only to witness her death, and then to find out it was only an illusion after all... that has shaken Rukia up badly. He himself isn't feeling to good about the way he treated Rukia when he believed she had killed Masaki... and his mother's accusations when she appeared...

_But it's just a dream. None of this is real. The Hollow is right._

And for once, Ichigo is glad that his Hollow is here.

'And you'll help us?' Ichigo asks. He's just got to get that clear.

Hollow Ichigo yawns. 'Got nothing better to do.'

Ichigo clears his throat. 'Right, well, going to the Soul Society is probably going to get us into a load of trouble but it's the best idea we've come up with all night. Going to Kisuke is not an option because the chances are we can't trust him-'

'Probably shouldn't under normal circumstances,' Rukia says with a small smile.

'- and so this leaves us with one option,' Ichigo says. 'Rukia, will you be able to open a senkaimon without your sword?'

Rukia winces. 'No. I don't think so.'

'It's not as if you're going to need it,' Hollow Ichigo says, pointing at something behind the other two. 'Look'. They turn to see a senkaimon appearing just a few feet away, but no one is coming through.

'I think it's for us,' Ichigo says slowly.

'Yes,' Rukia agrees. 'I would imagine the culprit behind this illusion would like us to visit the Soul Society next. So I guess this means we're following their plan. Whether we like it or not.'

**XOXOXOX**

'This isn't right,' Ichigo whispers as they walk down a darkened street of the seventy-eighth district of South Rukongai, or 'Hanging Dog', the place where they rather randomly ended up.

'Not so random,' Rukia murmurs. 'This is the place where I grew up.'

'Where is everybody?' Ichigo says, staring around.

'It's night time. They're in bed. What's the problem?' Hollow Ichigo answers.

'No, the streets always had people on them, even at night,' Rukia says as she peers in the dirty, stained window of a building. 'I don't think anyone's here at all.'

'Less people to get in the way,' the Hollow says at the same time as Ichigo mutters, 'Less people will be in danger.' They stare at each other before the Hollow continues, 'Same amount of syllables, too. Weird.'

'What's weird is there's no one here,' Ichigo says, his frown deepening.

'It's an illusion, I would imagine the creator probably felt no need to bring more people into this other than necessary,' Rukia says.

'It's too quiet,' Ichigo says uncomfortably. 'It feels like something really bad is about to happen.

'Oh, will you shut up?' Hollow Ichigo snaps. 'It's like you're paranoid or something.'

'Why don't you just-?'

'Knock it off, both of you,' Rukia says without bothering to face them. 'We need to leave this place and get my sword as soon as possible. It will be quite a long journey but if we flashstep we can get it done a lot faster. Come on.'

She disappears and reappears on the roof of a building further down the street. Ichigo copies her and Hollow Ichigo ends up performing the most embarrassing act he's ever committed in his rather short life. He trips and falls over.

Ichigo and Rukia stare back at him in bewilderment. 'What are you doing?' Ichigo asks after a moment of silence.

The Hollow lifts his head up, feeling himself going hot in the face. 'Nothing.'

'Why'd you fall?'

'Shut up.'

He pulls himself to his feet and tries to sonido again. This time, he manages not to collapse to the ground but instead grabs onto a wall in time to hold him up.

'What's wrong?' Rukia asks, tilting her head slightly.

'I- nothing.' He lets go of the wall and tries again, only to fall to his knees, his eyes open wide in astonishment. 'I... can't sonido,' he says disbelievingly.

'You what?' Ichigo asks.

'I can't sonido,' Hollow Ichigo repeats, glaring up and Ichigo.

The Substitute Soul Reaper lets out a little snort of laughter. 'Seriously?'

'This isn't funny, Ichigo!'

'Sure, sure.'

'No, he's right. It isn't,' Rukia says with a frown. 'Why can't you do it?'

'I don't know. I-' he breaks off as he hears someone's voice.

_**'You're quite a problem, little Hollow.'**_

'What?!'

'What?' Ichigo asks.

'Didn't you hear that?!' Hollow Ichigo shouts. 'That voice!'

'Wait, you're hearing voices?' Ichigo says sceptically. 'I mean, _I'm_ the one who's supposed to hear voices, aren't I? I mean, _you're _the voice so I'm not sure if that counts...'

'I'm being serious.'

_**'As you're a problem for me, I guess that means I'll return the favour. Now figure out how to solve it. Time's ticking.'**_

'You... have no spiritual pressure,' Rukia says, staring at the Hollow with wide eyes. 'Your... powers are gone.'

'It's the person behind this!' Hollow Ichigo snarls. 'They've taken my powers and they say I've got to figure out how to get them back! How the hell is this possible?! It's an illusion, and it's only supposed to be targeting you two!'

_**'I could have destroyed Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki by now. If not for you. You're ruining my plans, Hollow, and now you must pay.'**_

'It says... because I've been helping you guys, I have to... pay the price.'

Ichigo looks horrified. 'But if it's an illusion then you can't really have lost them, right? It's just tricking us into thinking that.'

'It's managed to convince our senses this,' Rukia muses. 'Almost like... hypnotism. As long as a part of you believes something, then the rest of you will automatically be convinced. In other words, you literally have the equivalent of losing your powers.'

'Damn...' Hollow Ichigo closes his eyes. _What the hell do you want me to do?_

_ '__**The truth is hidden in plain sight. In your true problem you'll find your key.**__'_

'Oh great, a riddle!' the Hollow snaps sarcastically. 'I always wanted the shit confused out of me!'

'A riddle?' Ichigo asks.

'ICHIGO! LOOK OUT!' Rukia shouts.

At that moment, a large explosion comes from the building on which Ichigo and Rukia were standing. The area is coated in thick layers of smoke as Ichigo and Rukia flashstep to stand beside the Hollow. As the smoke clears, an army of Adjuchas are revealed in the spot where the building once stood.

'Damn... Kidô won't be good enough for this,' Rukia hisses. She might be able to take one or two out, but she knows that Hollow Ichigo won't be able to fight like this and that just leaves her and Ichigo. He could take them out with Bankai but from what she understands, as Muramasa came earlier, that might not be possible.

'Great,' Ichigo mutters. 'Just great.'

'I need my sword,' Rukia whispers. 'But they're probably here to stop me from going on any further.'

'Then I'll distract them,' Ichigo says, turning to her, his determined brown eyes meeting her anxious violet ones. 'You go on ahead. The Hollow and I will stay here. I'll get rid of the Adjuchas.'

'Ichigo-'

'Find your sword, Rukia. And be careful.'

'I don't need to be,' she says angrily, his sudden decision for them to split up surprising her. 'I told you to stop underestimating me, remember? I can handle this fine. I'll be back soon- with my sword.'

She understands what's happening here- he's finally accepting that she must do some things alone. She'll definitely thank him later. But she can see the doubt and pain in his eyes that suggests how terribly worried he will be. She knows what he's thinking of- she always does. It's the same thing, going through his head all over again. That time when they were rescuing Orihime in Hueco Mundo. They split up, and Rukia defeated an Espada, almost costing her life. Then Ichigo confronted Ulquiorra, and found out what had happened to Rukia. He was going to rescue her, but instead he chose to fight. That rash decision has been weighing on him heavily because if Byakuya had not arrived, Rukia would have been killed, and Ichigo would have always seen it as his fault.

She steps closer to him, and rests her hands on his own, enclosing her fingers around his. 'I'll be fine. You'll see.'

Slowly, he nods. She smiles and disappears in a flash.

_Idiots! _Hollow Ichigo thinks. _They think that the Adjuchas are here to stop Rukia from getting her sword- when really the culprit wants to seperate them. This is exactly what it wants._

_**'Inform them of this and I'll prove to you exactly how powerful I am. You are just one little Hollow. I have slain thousands of Hollows in my time. You are no different.**_

Hollow Ichigo grins. _Says who?_

There is silence in his head as the voice contemplates this, then it says, _**'I can take more away from you. Or I can give you what you least want. Do as I say or I will break you.'**_

_Just a fair warning, Ichigo's pretty resilent. Super stubborn, in fact. You're gonna have a hard time beating him._

_**'Does complitmenting your Soul Reaper mean you actually have faith in him?'**_

_No, it means I'm laying out the facts for you. Think of it as a warning._

The voice seems frustrated that its words does not seem to be able to effect the Hollow. _**'You're like a puppet on strings, Hollow. Destroy your source and you are helpless.'**_

_This is one sick game you've planned out for Ichigo and Rukia, _Hollow Ichigo replies.

_**'Oh, believe me... the game is just beginning.'**_

* * *

**Yippee! Bedtime! (What's wrong with me?! But staying awake to write FanFictions is really so hard and I... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)**


End file.
